5 Reasons to Stick with Your Weight Loss Goals

Losing weight is hard work. No one will argue with that. It is easy to get discouraged and give up when those pounds just won’t come off. Here are 20 great reasons to remind you why maintaining a healthy weight is so important. When you know what is at stake, it’s far easier to stay committed to your weight loss goals.

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Diabetes: There is a definite link between Type II diabetes and obesity, which is reason enough to eat well and add more physical activity to your lifestyle. Simply put, diabetes is a wretched disease, with potential complications such as tingling and numbness in hands and feet, loss of vision, and kidney failure. Your risk of heart disease is higher, as well as a long list of other issues, such as yeast infections, foot infections, and urinary tract infections. Let’s face it – if you develop diabetes, you will have to change your eating patterns anyway. Don’t wait until the choice is out of your hands.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): You have probably heard a lot about avoiding high blood pressure, but do you know what can happen when you don’t? High blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke, not to mention an aneurysm which is a weakened blood vessel. If an aneurysm bursts in some places, for example your brain, it can be deadly. The blood vessels in your kidneys and your eyes can easily be damaged when blood pressure goes too high. Dialysis is the only thing that can keep you alive when kidneys fail, and you can be sure if you get to that point, you will regret not exercising. Don’t let obesity threaten your health by causing uncontrollable hypertension.

High cholesterol and triglycerides: High cholesterol is a plague that endangers our health, leaving debris on the walls of the arteries called plaque. When too much of this builds up, you can experience chest pain, and in serious cases, the blockage can cause a heart attack. Cholesterol deposits can also break off and block the arteries that lead to the brain, causing a stroke. Obesity is strongly linked to high cholesterol and triglycerides, which is motivation to eat more veggies and pass up the fried chicken.

Metabolic Syndrome: Imagine a perfect storm of all three of these issues coming together in your body to threaten your health from every angle. That’s Metabolic Syndrome, marked by high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol and triglycerides. The risks of this syndrome are dangerous to every aspect of your health, giving you excellent reasons to fight obesity with all of your strength.

Cancer: Obesity is linked with an assortment of cancers, such as cancer of the prostate, colon, cervix, uterus, rectum, and breast. The dangers of cancer are too numerous to count, and the life-threatening possibilities can’t be underestimated. Treatments for cancer, even when successful, are anything but comfortable. Surgery can leave disfiguration that requires additional operations to correct, and radiation has serious side effects. You are probably already familiar with the hair loss and nausea that accompanies chemotherapy, but did you know that you can develop sensory problems as well? Do what you can to avoid the many dismal effects of cancer by focusing on reaching your weight loss goals.

Less deadly, but still uncomfortable, are sleep apnea, depression, and sexual dysfunction. Obesity is related to all of those, plus trouble with joints, infertility, and complications during pregnancy. Losing weight isn’t just about fitting into that bikini.

There are real dangers to your health that can cut your life short far too soon. Keep up your motivation to eat right and exercise more, knowing you could be adding years to your life.